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While the next day a second midwife also spotted the symptoms and his deterioration, they say, but still failed to refer him for treatment.

Doctors at the hospital then wrongly interpreted his blood tests, according to his parents.

Staff were then unable to find all the phototherapy equipment needed to treat him - and did not know how to use it.

His parents are now suing the truth that runs North Manchester General Hospital, claiming their lack of knowledge and basic failures were responsible

He was transferred to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital for a transfusion the next day.

Here, they diagnosed him with severe kernicterus brain damage - a rare complication of jaundice.

Unfortunately there was a catalogue of basic and extremely concerning errors

Angharad Hughes, a lawyer who is representing the family

The family's lawyers argue that had the test been carried out, the signs would have been apparent and the need for urgent treatment clear.

But Pennine Acute Hospital NHS Trust - which runs the hospital - has yet to respond to their claim, meaning legal proceedings have now begun at the High Court.

Angharad Hughes, a specialist in brain injury cases at JMW Solicitors, who is representing the family, said 'this is an extremely distressing case'.

She added: 'Ibrahim was born perfectly healthy but just a few days later had suffered severe and entirely avoidable brain damage and will require round-the-clock care for the rest of his life.

'We have gathered evidence from leading independent medical experts who believe his injury was completely preventable had community midwives ensured he was tested promptly and referred to hospital, and had hospital staff started treatment urgently.

WHAT IS JAUNDICE?

Jaundice is a common and usually harmless condition in newborn babies that causes yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes.

Symptoms usually develop two to three days after the birth and tend to get better without treatment by the time the baby is about two weeks old.

It's caused by a build-up of a substance called bilirubin - a waste product created when red blood cells break down - in the blood and body's tissues.

Bilirubin is a waste product created when red blood cells break down.

Jaundice is one of the most common conditions that can affect newborn babies. It's estimated 6 out of every 10 babies develop the condition.

However, if left untreated there's a risk it could cause permanent brain damage. This is known as kernicterus.

Kernicterus is very rare in the UK, affecting less than 1 in every 100,000 babies born.

'Unfortunately there was a catalogue of basic and extremely concerning errors which included a lack of knowledge about jaundice, lack of equipment and staff not being able to operate basic phototherapy equipment.

'The delays by Pennine in responding to our allegations and requests for information have also been very upsetting for the family.'

A spokesperson for Pennine said: 'This is a very sad and distressing case that happened over four years ago and our sympathies are with Ibrahim’s family.

'We are looking into the allegations and have maintained contact with the family and their solicitors, whom we updated yesterday, and we will respond formally as soon as possible.'

This comes after a damning report in November revealed a premature baby was left to die alone in a sluice room rather than in their mother's arms.

Staff members involved in the care of the newborn failed to find a quiet place to sit with her to nurse her as she passed away.

A medical review of Pennine, which was carried out by its new maternity director, outlined a string of avoidable deaths and long-term injuries caused by failures over many years.

Chronic staff shortages, clinical errors and bad staff attitude led to 'high levels of harm for babies in particular'.

Professor Matthew Makin, medical director at the trust, previously said: 'The priority is for all of the trust's services to meet the high standards that patients expect and deserve.

'We are steadily making the necessary improvements so that patients can receive reliable, high quality care across all of our services.'